SPOTTED: Audemars Piguet CEO Francois Bennahmias Wearing A Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon At Art Basel Dropping by the Audemars Piguet lounge at Art Basel this week, we just had to see what the man in charge, CEO Francois Bennahmias, had on his wrist. While he could be sporting replica breitling Navitimer something much more complicated or over-the-top, we caught glimpses of something much more understated from under Bennahmias' cuff. It turns out he was wearing the Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon, a piece that combines the history of the Royal Oak and the robustness of a true sport watch with the complexity of an ultra-thin tourbillon, perfectly encapsulating what makes Audemars Piguet so interesting today. Audemars Piguet is in its second year of sponsorship with Art Basel, the replica cartier tank world's leading fair for high-end contemporary art, that, funnily enough, takes place in the very same exhibition halls as Baselworld. While I'll admit it was a bit strange walking through the familiar buildings looking at paintings and sculptures instead of the usual horological curiosities, Audemars Piguet offered up a comforting break in its lounge above the main gallery floors. Entering the booth, I noticed CEO Francois Bennahmias greeting guests and chatting by the watchmaker's bench set up for sharing AP's finishing techniques with passers-by. But what replica tag heuer aquaracer I really noticed was what Bennahmias was wearing on his wrist. This is a man who could be wearing a Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph, a Concept GMT Tourbillon, or something even more complicated, but, instead, he appeared to be wearing a simple Royal Oak tucked neatly under his jacket cuff. Upon closer inspection, I realized he was wearing the Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon, a perfect middle ground between the complicated and the understated. At 41mm across and only 8.85mm thick, the Royal Oak Extra-Thin Tourbillon lives up to its name. With the exception of the aperture at 6 o'clock for the tourbillon, the classic Royal Oak dial is left open and clean, giving the watch a traditional look at first glance. Only when you look a second time do you notice the beautiful tourbillon and how seamlessly it is integrated into the design. The caliber 2924 is manually wound and has a subtle indicator on the back for the 70-hour power reserve.

SPOTTED: Roger Dubuis Wearing A Roger Dubuis Sympathie Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Moonphase Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Roger Dubuis manufacture outside of Geneva and had the double pleasure of meeting Mr. Dubuis himself. After touring the manufacture and learning of the rigorous processes behind the Poinçon de Genève standard, we were led into a large conference room with replica breitling Navitimer a sweeping view of Mont Blanc and the not-yet-completed Richemont Campus Genevois de Haute Horology. When Dubuis entered the room – situated quite literally at the crux of the old guard and future of the industry – one of the key things on my mind was what was on his wrist that day. The Roger Dubuis Sympathie Bi-Retrograde Perpetual Calendar Moonphase was introduced around 1995-1996. The 37mm stylized cushion-shaped gold case appears baroque, but not in an offensive way. On the off-white dial, the real features of the watch stand out: a minimal moon-phase complication at 6 o’clock with a small sub-dial showing the month and leap-year cycle at 12. Between 1 and replica cartier Calibre 5 o’clock, the large retrograde date forms an apex toward the center, with a similarly formed retrograde day indicator opposite from 7 to 11. At first glance, it’s a lot to have on a small dial, particularly with a stylized case shape, but it works–very well in fact. Dubuis founded the manufacture nearly 20 replica cartier tank years ago, after 14 years of developing complications, including a stint at Patek Philippe. A rigorous dedication to technique evolved from both his professional and personal experiences. Admirably, he maintains an appreciation for unorthodox contemporary design, highly technical calibres, and precise levels of finishing.

Now this case. The inspiration for your UR-105M is often a medieval body armor so Urwerk has taken a familiar shape and added a large bezel replica breitling bentley meant to recall a shield or an armor plate. On the "Iron Knight" version of the UR-105M this is a brushed steel bezel, while on the Dark Knight we have here it is a black AlTiN alloy bezel, blasted to a soft finish. The large oblong screws give it an industrial look, keeping the historical reference from looking too explicit. Although there is no getting around the fact that the case is large at 39.5mm x 53mm x 16.65mm, Urwerk has done a number of things to make the UR-105M wearable. First, the case is made of solid titanium, so it doesn't weigh down your wrist. Especially with thick cases like this replica breitlin navitimer, too much weight can result in a watch that feels like it's about to fall off at any moment. The ergonomics have also been carefully considered. The case tapers towards the bottom (where the minutes scale is) and gets thicker as you get closer to the massive winding crown. The underside of the case has a little curve to it too, which provides some additional help here. The UR-105M is manually wound and has a 42 hour power reserve. The large crown may look outsized at first, but as soon as you try to wind or set the UR-105M on the wrist, you'll really appreciate it. This was is extremely easy to use in that department and the crown feels repiica cartier santos smooth and substantial. It's also worth noting here that both the Iron Knight and Dark Knight versions of the UR-105M are limited editions of 77 numbered pieces, with prices of 58,000 CHF and 63,000 CHF respectively.